Hopeless Wanderers
by EddietheHead
Summary: The deal was made in Denmark, on a dark and stormy day. Now two mercenary friends are headed to Pandora to assassinate the new Omaticaya leader. One gets the opportunity to learn from the Na'vi and the other from scientists and the biggest lesson they learn is the most dangerous thing about Pandora is you never want to leave. Can the people heal the deep wounds in their hearts?
1. Chapter 1

_Copenhagen, Denmark 9:30 pm 2155_

It was a dark and stormy evening in the city with flashes of lightning adding temporary illumination to the dreary scenery. Internal lights from the many houses shone through the darkness like fireflies and reflected beautifully off the water. Though this beauty was lost to the man who stood in the window of a dark house. This man was lost in his mind, still processing the information that had been thrown at him a few days ago, in fact a certain conversation with his superiors was replaying itself for the hundredth time in his head.

 _The RDA is finished,_ one such superior had said, _They'll never recover from this, especially now that the media has taken over the story._

 _There are plenty of competitors willing to take over their contract,_ the man had countered, _As long as the mining equipment was undamaged, operations can resume._

Another superior had interjected here _And so it will, but will the Na'vi just allow us to after what Quaritch pulled?_

The man had sighed and massaged his eyelids with his forefinger and thumb _Quaritch was a fool, we warned Selfridge about hiring him as head of security. This time we'll choose._

 _What about Sully?_ one asked skeptically, _It says he took over the Omaticaya_ _clan, will he agree to allow mining to continue?_

 _After the war he fought, I very much doubt it,_ the man had smiled as he already had a plan ready, _but I'm dealing with that now. Send me a list of mining corporations you think will be an adequate replacement for the RDA. I should have a new head of security picked out by next Tuesday, within a month I can have an ISV full of personnel_ _ready to embark_ _._

The man's thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door and he smiled to himself, _Right on time,_ he thought.

"It's open," the man said aloud without turning towards the door as it creaked open, "enjoying the weather, Huntley? "

The one who had entered, also a man, stood at a non-intimidating five foot four inches tall and had a slim build with little muscle definition. He wore a combination of white chino pants, white sports jacked, and a pale blue t-shirt underneath. His dark brown and flowing hair was kept at a medium length, and his goatee was neatly trimmed, he looked to be in his early forties. To the unsuspecting he looked like an average Joe but, to those who knew him, he was very dangerous. Perfect for the CIA.

Huntley brushed the rain off his jacket as he strode into the room and sat, uninvited, at a chair opposite a desk where the man worked "It's just peachy out there," he grumbled, then was all business, "What's the mission, Siver?"

Siver wasn't anything special either, he was only five foot seven but was heavier set than his companion. His hair was graying and thinning, his face cleanly shaved, also he looked to be in his fifties. He dressed himself in blue jeans and a yellow polo shirt.

Siver turned from the window and tossed a data pad across the desk to the agent "ISV _Eternity_ is nearing the half way point on its journey to Pandora," he explained as Huntley examined the pad, "we can still maintain a live video feed from it, although the lag is… substantial. In two days the men operating the _Eternity_ are going to wake up your two men, you're to give them their new assignment,"

Huntley finished reading then handed the pad back to Siver, "Am I allowed to ask 'why'?"

"Mining needs to resume as soon as possible, but Sully will never allow us to set foot on Pandora, not after the mess Quaritch made," Siver explained " _Eternity_ is only a supply ship, the only people headed planet side are a handful of scientists and your guys. It'll take us six years to get another platoon of soldiers and workers out there but it'll do no good if they're met with resistance. No, your men are the only option,"

Huntley sighed, "Their original mis-"

"I know," Siver interrupted, holding up a placating hand, "but their new assignment has been approved. That's all I can say,"

"Fine, they won't be happy about this. This completely undermines their whole purpose of going out there" Huntley stated as he stood and made for the door but stopped before entering "They will be expecting an increase in pay to compensate for the change,"

"They'll get it," Siver simply answered and then Huntley was gone.

 _2.1 light-years out from Earth, aboard the ISV Eternity_

"Bringing C twelve and C thirteen out of cryo," a tech personnel announced then keyed in the command on his terminal. Another techie floated over as the pod slid out into the open, the two occupants were awake but disoriented.

"We there?" asked the younger one as the techie checked the man's vitals.

"Sorry," he replied with a sympathetic smile "We're only half way but we had a priority one message come in. It seems your boss has something to say,"

The young man frowned in thought. He and his friend had had over a month's worth of debriefing before being shot out into space, what could Huntley have possibly forgotten? His name was Roland Reed and he stood at a decent height of six feet one inch, his light brown hair was cut short and his goatee was a bit longer than normal. He was muscular but wasn't considered beefy, both arms were adorned with many tattoos of varying colors. A short scar formed at the middle of his left eyebrow and ran up into his hairline. But the one feature that stuck out the most were his bright emerald eyes. All in all he was considered very handsome. His shirt was a plain white tee and his cargo pants were light brown. Roland was a mercenary, a young one at that being only twenty seven, hired by the CIA to run as security for the scientists on Pandora, the agency even managed to grow him an avatar of his own. After the news of what happened at Dr. Augustine's school hit Earth, the CIA decided to send out people to make sure an incident like that didn't happen again. So that's how he ended up being shoved aboard the _Eternity_ along with his good buddy.

"I think I'm gonna be sick," the older of the two groaned.

Jeremy Vetterman was his name and he was only five feet eight inches tall, his jet black hair was kept buzzed off and hidden under a white stetson most of the time, his face was showing signs of stubble but he normally kept it cleanly shaved. He wasn't nearly as muscular as Roland but still deceptively strong. He had let his waist grow over the past couple years but he could still tussle with the best. Vetterman was never a man for tattoos but his left bicep had a long jagged scar running from his shoulder socket to his elbow pit, another smaller scar ran along his left cheek. His pale blue eyes were a stark contrast to Roland's but in his younger days he was considered handsome as well, not that he was THAT old as he was only thirty nine. Jeremy enjoyed the classier lifestyle of clothing, wearing a blue collared button up shirt tucked into dress blue jeans. Like Roland, Jeremy's assignment was security as well but he wasn't offered an avatar, he was to remain on base.

Roland chuckled "Oh, god, please don't. I really don't want to know what that looks like in zero G,"

The one who had pulled them out of cry indicated to follow him, "This way, gentleman. Agent Huntley is already on. The connection is weak and at the worst moments the lag can take up to thirty seconds," they stopped next to a door, which the techie opened, "When you're done kill the link and we'll put you back under,"

The two mercenary friends entered the small comms room where only one screen was active, displaying their CIA contact. The two held onto railings to keep them steady and from floating off screen.

"Morning," Huntley said after a moment, "How's cryo treating you?"

"Like shit," Jeremy grumbled, still looking a little pale, "What's this all about?"

They waited in silence for the connection to catch up "The RDA are gone, kicked off Pandora," the agent explained, lighting up a cigarette while he spoke and getting a look of longing from Vetterman, "I'll send you two the full story later but for now all you need to know is that the natives staged a coup, lead by one of the Avatar drivers,"

Roland couldn't help the sudden bark of laughter erupting from his lips, "You mean a bunch of indigenous aliens with bows and arrows were able to defeat the colonel and his war machines?"

"Apparently," Huntley replied after a brief pause, "How they managed to isn't important at the moment. Soon another ISV will be launching with the RDA's replacement but they want the resistance dealt with by the time they reach Pandora,"

Jeremy snorted at that, "If an army couldn't stand up to them, how are the two us supposed to?" he asked.

"The Avatar driver I mentioned took over as leader of the clan the RDA interacted with. With him out of the way, the clan will be leaderless and therefore easier to deal with when the replacements arrive," the agent reached off screen and keyed a command that replaced the video feed with a profile, "This is Jake Sully, former marine. While serving in the Venezuela war, I'm sure you remember that conflict, Vetterman, he took a piece of shrapnel to the spine. As a result his human body is paralyzed from the waist down,"

"I take it we're killing him?" Roland assumed, "Should be easy, not like he can run away,"

Jeremy tittered at that but when the joke reached Huntley he frowned "He has an Avatar body that was trained by the Na'vi. He is to be considered a threat. You guessed it though, Reed, you are going to assassinate Sully. Or his human form at least. If you feel like tangling with his Avatar be my guest,"

"Are we going to be staying after killing him then?" asked Jeremy, as far as the two knew they were going to be stationed out there for at least six years.

"No, once you've killed the targets, you're to return to the _Eternity_ immediately," Huntley explained.

"Wait, targets?" Roland inquired, putting an emphasis on the plural term.

"Ah, yes, the other two," once again the feed changed and this time two profiles displayed on the monitor, "Dr. Max Patel and Norm Spellman. It has been reported that these two also betrayed the human race and helped undermine the RDA by rallying the other scientists to their cause,"

"Then they're all traitors," Jeremy snarled, "Why not just wait and let the replacements kill then all when the next ISV arrives?"

"Dr. Patel and Spellman are sorta like the ringleaders, if we kill them then the rebellion dies with them," the agent explained as his face appeared back on, "The others will be punished but they are still useful, and we don't any more mining delays, we need to get operations running smoothly again. I have a lot to do back here so if you have any questions?" he asked, then once the shakes of their heads registered he reached to kill the link, "Good, I've been told your pay has been doubled, by the way," then he was gone.

Jeremy whistled, "Doubled? Fuck, I didn't plan on being able to retire when we got back home," he statd with a full blow grin.

Roland was just as surprised but a thoughtful frown appeared on his face, "Me neither. I forgot to ask about my Avatar, but if we're leaving almost immediately I guess it doesn't matter,"

As the two settled back into their pods they let their thoughts wonder and on different paths. Jeremy was practically drooling over the thought of money and it was even the more sweeter that he wouldn't be spending six years out there, he hadn't liked the idea in the first place, but the amount of money offered helped persuade him. Roland, however, was slightly disappointed. He wasn't too keen about returning to the overpopulated and nearly dead Earth. He had been looking forward to going out to Pandora, to see what a real jungle looked like, not the few square miles that were left of the Amazon. Maybe he could negotiate into being allowed to stay, after all the Avatars were stupidly expensive and could only be used by one person. As he felt the effects of cryo taking over his last thoughts were of the Na'vi, he had wanted to meet one while on his tour out here, they looked so interesting.

 _Two years seven months later, Hell's Gate, Pandora_

Dr. Max Patel sprinted through the halls, looking for Norm. His frantic pace had attracted the attention of a few other scientist, who shouted inquires at him as he passed. The paunchy man finally found his friend in the linkroom about to go under.

"Norm!" Max shouted breathlessly, "wait!"

Norm sat up from the link bed and trotted over to his Max with a look of concern, "Max, what's wrong?"

The doctor's explanation came between puffs of air, "Preston...he just… said… the com...puters picked...up a signal,"

"Slow down, Max," Norm ordered, "what kinda signal?"

The doctor let his breathing get under control before continuing, "We've been monitoring for any traffic around Pandora's orbit since we sent the RDA off," he explained then handed a data pad to his colleague, "we knew they'd be back but not this soon,"

Spellman felt his gut wrench at the news and his heart plummeted as he read the data pad, "The _Venture Star_ couldn't have reached Earth already," he declared, part of his mind in denial.

"No but messages can still be sent to Earth, even from here," Max explained, "It takes a few days, but I guarantee you the RDA notified Earth as soon as possible. This ISV likely doesn't know about what happened, in fact Preston has been in contact with it, it's only carrying supplies, a few Avatar drivers, and a load of scientists,"

Norm went silent, aware that everyone in the room had been listening in and now murmurs of dismay were spreading around, "We need those supplies," he said finally, "I think we can persuade the drivers and other scientists to join us, if not we out number them. Give them permission to land, but only to offload the supplies and personnel. The pilots are to remain on board the shuttle,"

Max nodded and ran off to convey the orders and Norm went to lie back down in the link bed. Before closing his eyes to join his avatar he had one last thought,

 _Jake is gonna be pissed._


	2. Chapter 2

"It left? It fucking left?" Jeremy raged as he and Roland stepped into a secluded locker room previously used by the troops stationed at Hell's Gate. After helping unload everything from the shuttle, while under the supervision of armed avatars, they were all lead inside for an orientation by Dr. Max Patel. Everyone was brought up to speed on the events that had transpired almost three years ago, which drew many surprised reactions, Roland and Jeremy pretending to be bothered by the news. Truth be told Roland did feel some sympathy for the Na'vi, they obviously hadn't deserved the treatment they received. Once orientation was over Max had given everyone a choice on whether to stay on Pandora or return to Earth. Unanimously the new scientists had decided to stay, upon which they were taken on a tour of the facility. After the tour Max had dropped the bombshell on them. The _Eternity_ had been filled up with enough fuel for the return journey and sent back to Earth. The news had floored the two mercenaries, both had to fight to keep their emotions in check while in front of the others but now that they were away from prying ears and eyes Jeremy was venting. Which was nothing out of the norm, Reed usually kept a cool head and Vetterman usually short fused.

Roland took a quick peep into the hallway to make sure they wouldn't be interrupted, then turned to his irritated friend, "Hey, cool down will ya?" he spoke in a calm manner, "I need you cool. We'll figure this out. You cool?"

Vetterman kicked a locker then blew a huge sigh, "Yeah, I'm cool," he replied and after a few deep breaths he turned to Reed, "wanna smoke?"

Roland paced the length of the room trying to gather his thoughts, "I quit," he stated, then spun around to the older merc, "why, you got one?"

Even as he asked he could see the rectangular bulge in Jeremy's left breast pocket. The older man pulled out a lighter as he flipped the carton open and, after letting Roland select one, he pulled a smoke out for himself and lit both.

The pair stood in silence, taking multiple drags, letting the chemicals calm their nerves before Reed finally spoke up, "As soon as I can I'll send a message to Huntley. Obviously we're gonna have to put off-" he glanced to the door for moment then continued in a much quieter voice, "we can't eliminate our targets yet."

Jeremy agreed with a nod then tossed his cigarette to the ground, "It can never be simple, can it?" He complained as he strode over to the sink and splashed water onto his face, "how the hell did I let you talk me into this?"

"I've followed you into worse, remember Mumbai?" Roland stated with a chuckle as he stamped out the butt of his smoke.

"At least that wasn't God knows how many light years away from home," Jeremy retorted but he could see his friend's point.

"For now I think we should make ourselves useful," Roland said as he headed towards the door, "it'll keep us busy in the meantime and make us less suspicious."

Vetterman agreed with a nod and followed his companion back out into the hall and back into the bio lab. The rest of the scientists were a flurry of activity, despite having no deadlines to meet, and it wasn't long before the two mercs felt like they were just getting in the way. Since they already identified one of their targets, Max Patel, they decided to see if they could find the other two. So, with the knowledge that Norm and Jake were avatar drivers, they headed to the link room to size them up. It wasn't long before they found Norm's link bed, the monitor displaying the man's face matched the profile they were shown.

"How long do these guys stay linked up?" Roland asked with genuine curiosity. Before leaving for Pandora, Reed had only managed an abysmal forty two hours of link time and he wanted to get an idea on how long he would be spending in his avatar.

One of people monitoring the drivers answered with a chuckle, "More than what they should be. I can't speak from personal experience but according to my friends that have avatars, it gets really addicting being linked up, something I'm sure you will figure out soon enough," she smiled knowingly, "last I heard they were decanting the new avatars and Dr. Patel has given permission for you newbies to link up tomorrow."

Roland couldn't quite keep a grin from spreading across his face, "I look forward to it," he stated, "I'm Roland Reed, that's Jeremy Vetterman" he held out his hand which she shook.

"Amy Whitaker," she replied with a toothy smile as she shook Jeremy's hand as well.

"Does Dr. Patel always give the orders around here?" Roland asked, coming to stand next to her to get a better look at the screen. What he saw nearly gave him a headache, how any of that jumbled up mess meant anything to anyone was beyond him.

Amy shook her head, "He and Norm guide the rest of us, neither one are strictly in command," she replied, "but when it comes to the avatars we take Dr. Patel's advice very seriously."

Jeremy plopped down into a vacant office chair that had been rolled out from a terminal, "So who is in charge around here, Sully?" he asked as innocently as possible.

She laughed at that, "No, there is no way he would have enough time to run Hell's Gate and the Omaticaya at the same time."

"Do you know when Jake will be unlinking, we were kinda hoping to get to talk to him?" Roland asked as he too sat back in an office chair.

Both men started at the outburst of laughter from Amy and a few other scientists in the room, "Did they not tell you?" she asked once she had regained her composure and after the confused stares from the pair she continued "Roundabouts three years ago Jake had his conscience transferred permanently to his avatar."

Reed and Vetterman exchanged glances, "He transfer… he's… how is that possible?" the former stammered in disbelief.

"I really don't know. All of our scientists here say that it should be impossible but it's true," Amy stated, "he is truly one of the people now."

The two took their leave of the bio lab then, with Amy telling Roland they should get coffee sometime, and tracked down Dr. Patel. After getting permission to send a report back to Earth, which hadn't taken too much persuading as Max understood their bosses wanted weekly reports, they sent a message to Huntley, telling him of their predicament while keeping the message as vague as possible so that when it was screened they wouldn't give themselves away.

It wasn't until late evening when Norm finally unlinked and headed down to dinner. While he ate Max pointed out all the new arrivals and their names. When he got to the two mercs, Norm suddenly stopped eating.

"Those two," he said, nodding towards Reed and Vetterman who were talking to Amy and a few others, "who are they?"

"Jeremy Vetterman is the older one and Roland Reed is the younger," Max stated but even as he answered he knew what was coming next.

"They aren't scientists," it wasn't a question.

Max sighed, he had recognized that as well when he first met them, "I know. They were with the group that landed and Reed has an avatar."

"I said only scientists were to be allowed to stay, Max," Norm declared, exasperated.

"I know, I know," the portly scientist said apologetically while staring at his feet, "by the time I realized it, we had already sent the shuttle back to Earth. I think they'll be alright, though."

Norm gave his friend an even more exasperated look, if that were possible, "How so?"

"They weren't employed by the RDA. They were sent out here to keep the RDA in check," Max explained, "Roland told me that the CIA wanted Grace to reopen her school and that he would run security while they were out there so that another shooting didn't happen, the last hing they wanted was for the UN to get involved and start handing out sanctions. Jeremy was going to be stationed in the bio lab to keep Quaritch and Selfridge from rolling in and taking over."

"Little late for that," Norm replied angrily as he tossed his food down, no longer hungry.

As the scrawny scientist tried to stand Max placed a hand on his arm, stopping him, "They were still in cryo during the war."

Norm didn't reply as he stomped off, still upset. He knew Max was right, these two had nothing to do with the war and to punish them wouldn't be fair, but he also had convinced Jake that they had everything under control here. The unchecked arrival of personnel that weren't just scientists would hurt his reputation with Jake, or at least that's what he assumed. Still, he didn't see any justifiable reason to deny Reed a chance to try out his avatar. He came to a decision, then, that tomorrow the young man would be allowed to link up under Norm's personal supervision.

Early the next morning Roland was roused from sleep by one of the braver technicians and brought to the link room for his first adventure in his avatar. After getting simultaneously laughed at and lectured for his short amount of link time back on Earth, he was in.

After the initial haze of linking cleared away the first thing Roland noticed was that all of his senses seemed to be dialed to eleven. Even as the techies were droning on at him about taking it easy, his ears swiveled to and fro like they had minds of their own, picking up the smallest sounds. He could smell the slightest perfume that the woman techie used to mask the fact she hadn't showered in a while. Even his vision seemed clearer, even though he'd thought his vision in his human body was just fine as it was. His sense of touch was different, too, and he found himself caressing every object in sight as if someone had slipped his avatar molly before linking up. Once the technicians were sure that his avatar wasn't going to spontaneously combust or something like that they gave Reed some privacy so he could get dressed in the avatar sized clothing that, Roland thought, looked comical on a Na'vi body. Once decent he was directed outside where other avatars were exercising or studying various flora.

As he lumbered about just taking in the scenery and breathing in the incredibly clean air, another avatar strode up to him, "Roland? I'm Norm Spellman," he stated.

Roland nodded and held out his hand, "Pleasure," he replied, but when Norm didn't shake it he let it drop back to his side.

"Until we can decide what to do with I'm going to put you to work," Norm said, then gestured around at the multiple activities within the compound "anything you're good at?"

Reed smirked, "Shooting things," he replied.

Norm was unamused and he shot the young merc a glare, "You military types are all the same. All you think about are your guns," he declared.

"I'm not military," Roland replied seriously, "and I was joking. I've been thinking, though. I've noticed some areas of the base have been shut down, why is that?"

"Because we only have so much fuel to keep the generators running. We shut down all the departments we didn't deem necessary to conserve," Norm replied, then his tone turned somber "once the fuel runs out, we're in trouble,"

Roland strode further out into the compound, his mind formulating solutions, "Can't continue mining for unobtanium. Wind power? No, we're lacking materials and manpower to build carbines. Hydroelectric? No, not a powerful enough water current nearby. Solar grids are wired to the fences, unless," he turned to Norm, "could the solar panels powering the electric fences be rerouted to the generators?"

Norm shrugged, "That's beyond my expertise, you would have to ask one of the engineers," he replied but couldn't quite keep the spark of hope out of his voice, "we powered down the fences a long time ago. We couldn't risk sending out our technicians out to perform the necessary maintenance to keep them running, but if there is a way to move the panels closer to the base then they could safely be worked on,"

"You can't protect your technicians?" Roland asked, "I've seen the armory, you have plenty there to keep your men safe while they work,"

"We're scientists, not soldiers," Norm retorted, "during the war, the avatar drivers took over the command center but all they had to do was point guns and look scary, non of them actually had to pull the trigger. If they came under fire, they wouldn't have lasted long. I'm the only one on base that has ever fired a gun and it didn't turn out so well for me," he subconsciously massaged his shoulder where the bullets had impacted those years ago during battle.

Roland nodded, "If the engineers can convert the generators to solar power, Jeremy and I can protect your men while they work," he promised, "I was joking earlier but now I'm serious. I'm good at shooting things, so is Jeremy."

That evening Norm spoke with the head of engineering and, after he got confirmation that it was possible to convert the power, he started putting together the team. It wasn't going to be simple, there were five solar panels each and they were decent size, even for the avatars. Apparently it was easy enough to unhook them but transporting them and then getting them running on the generators was going to be a hassle. Norm was assured the engineers were up to the challenge, if nothing else it was finally something for them to do. Early the next morning Norm led Roland in his avatar, Jeremy, three other avatars, and three engineers out to the solar panel farthest from the base. Roland was armed with an M60 machine gun and Jeremy with his own Remington 700. As the engineers worked the two mercenaries scanned the skies but only saw some flying animals in the distance, no immediate danger. Once the panel was free Roland had to help carry it back to the base, leaving Vetterman to watch their backs. Even with five avatars it was incredibly heavy and by the time they made it, all of them were puffing for air and their muscles aching. It was a long day of hard work but they got the first four without incident, it was while transporting the fifth that a predator got hungry enough to risk an attack.

Roland was walking backwards as he carried the panel when one of the engineers cried, "Banshee!"

The group gently but quickly set the panel down so Roland could rearm himself as the engineers took cover under the solar panel. Before Reed could get a bead on the incoming threat Vetterman's rifle barked out and, with a squeal of pain, the banshee flopped to ground with a bullet sized hole in its wing. The winged predator turned and sloppily took the air in a retreat, but Jeremy cycled the bolt and chambered another round before taking aim.

"Wai-" Norm attempted to stop him but too late as the older merc fired, this time center mass, killing the banshee.

Roland pushed the barrel of Jeremy's gun to the side, "Christ, JV, you didn't need to kill it," he stated sternly.

"What? You going soft on me, Reed?" Vetterman snorted, "now others won't attack."

"Or," Norm interjected, "the body will attract more. Dammit, I knew I shouldn't have let you have guns."

"You wanted us to protect you and I did," Jeremy declared defensively, "if you're so worried about your little birdies, do it yourself next time," with that he stormed off back to the airlock.

Norm began pacing back and forth frantically, "Shit, Jake's gonna be pissed," he said, more to himself than the others.

"Hey, calm down, man," Reed put his hand on the scientists shoulder, stopping him from pacing, "Something will likely have eaten the body before tomorrow morning."

Norm nodded, "Yeah, you're right. It's just you have no idea how the Na'vi feel about wanton killing."

After they finished up the days work, Roland caught up with Norm at dinner, Jeremy was still off on his own sulking.

"We've been here a few days now and we still haven't met Jake. How often does he stop by?" Reed asked around a mouthful of he didn't know what.

"I don't know, whenever he feels like it," Norm replied, "he doesn't exactly follow a schedule, sometimes we won't hear from him for a couple weeks, sometimes he shows up every other day."

Roland pondered for a moment, "Is it a far journey from wherever he is?" he asked.

Norm eyed him suspiciously, "The new _kelutral_ or home tree, is even farther away than the original," he explained, "even by _ikran_ it's over half a day's flight,"

"Ik- what?" Roland frowned, confused.

"Sorry, banshee. The Na'vi call them _ikran_ ," Norm stated, "why are you so eager to meet him?"

"Really?" Roland chuckled "you have to ask? The man took over as leader of an entire clan of aliens with only three months of training. Color me intrigued."

Norm snorted, "Don't get your hopes up," he said, "it was his rule than only scientists would be allowed to stay. I don't think he will like you and Jeremy very much."

Reed shrugged, not allowing himself to be dismayed, "I came up with a solution to save all your asses from suffocating," he declared with a grin, "that's got to have gotten me some brownie points."

"We'll see," Norm replied, "sooner or later.

As it turned out, it would be sooner rather than later, as early the next morning Jake left _kelutral_ with two other hunters to visit Hell's Gate. The past few nights he had been having unsettling, unclear dreams about the base and at first he thought they were simply just dreams. After a few nights, though, he became worried and, after consulting with Mo'at, he decided to soothe his worries by visiting the base. It was late afternoon when he finally touched down inside the grounds of the avatar compound, the only area the _ikran_ felt comfortable landing. As he dismounted he heard the familiar voice of Norm calling his name, causing him to grin and when he turned to reply his smile disappeared in a flash because that's when he saw them.

The two men from his dreams.


	3. Chapter 3

Jake couldn't break his eyes off the two strangers and he could tell it was unsettling them, which slightly pleased him, as childish as he realized that was. One was standing with his arms crossed, returning the stare from under the brim of a white stetson. The other, younger looking one, sat upon an old crate that looked like it had been sitting there since the RDA got booted out, twirling a Ka-Bar combat knife expertly in one hand and as he got closer he realized the younger man was also whistling.

Obviously the older one noticed too, because he turned to his companion and elbowed him in the gut, "You're whistling like a fairy again," he growled and the young man went quiet.

Jake then turned to his long time friend, and man whom he now considered a brother, " _Oel ngati kameie,_ Norm," he said with a smile, " _how have you been?"_

Norm returned the smile, briefly noting in his mind how much the _Olo'eyktan's_ pronunciation had improved, then replied in Na'vi, " _I_ _have been_ _doing fine."_

The clan chief glanced, briefly, at the two men again, " _Who are they?"_ he asked, speaking quietly and in Na'vi in hopes of keeping the conversation private, " _they don't look like scientists."_

While the two conversed Roland studied the newcomers or, more importantly, the one who was clearly the leader and therefore he deduced was Jake Sully. As the mercenary scanned his face he could see the resemblance to the human form he'd seen in the picture, plus a few other giveaways that he wasn't pure Na'vi. As he examined the rest of the chief's body he could see why Huntley would consider him a threat. While he was very scrawny, as all Na'vi were, Jake's muscles were toned and he had an aura about him that spoke of his abilities. Surely taking him down was going to be quite difficult.

Norm interrupted his thoughts as he turned towards the two men, "Jake, this is Roland Reed and Jeremy Vetterman. They were originally signed on as security," he explained to an unimpressed looking Jake, "guys, this is Jake Sully. He's _Olo'e_ _y_ _ktan,_ or clan leader, of the _Omaticay_ _a_ _."_

Roland pushed himself to a stand then stepped forward with his hand offered, "Sir," but Jake just stared him down, so Roland dropped it to his side with a sigh and attempted humor, "has everyone forgotten how to shake hands out here?"

The _Olo'eyktan's_ eyes narrowed, "We don't need any more security," he declared, then turned back to Norm, "I thought I was clear on who was to be allowed to stay?"

The poor scientist wilted under Jake's stare, "I'm sorry. They slipped in with the scientists and no one found them out until their ride was sent back."

"We were going to be on your side," Jeremy interjected, "neither of us have any sympathy for Quaritch or his men."

Jake redirected his glare to the older merc, "We don't need you on our side anymore," he stated, "when the next ship arrives you two are going home."

"No complaints there," Jeremy replied, "but you're stuck with us until then and we've already been helping out. Just ask him."

Jake turned back to Norm, as Jeremy had indicated, with an inquisitive look on his face, "Oh, yeah?" he asked suspiciously, "how so?"

Norm shuffled his feat nervously as all eyes were n him, even the other two Na'vi, who Norm assumed knew enough English to keep up with the conversation, "Well, um, it was their idea to convert the solar panels over to the oxygen filters," Norm stated, "it's not complete yet, but in a few weeks we should be running sufficiently enough that we can cut back on fuel consumption."

Jake reassessed the two men with astonishment, "How did two military grunts come up with that?" he asked.

Jeremy chuckled, "We're not military, and it was Roland's idea," he explained, nodding his head to his friend.

Roland shrugged as the Olo'eyktan's gaze shifted to him, "Before we left Earth I read about Canada, or more specifically Toronto, switching fully to solar power," he said, "it was really expensive but I think people are really starting to realize they need to start looking to alternate energy sources. Especially now that their unobtanium supply has been cut off."

As he spoke, an _atokirina'_ came floating down from somewhere above to hover over Roland. The Na'vi hunters, Jake, and Norm all held their breaths at the spectacle. It danced above Roland's head for a few seconds then drifted over to Jeremy. After a few seconds it let a draft lift it up and then it was gone from sight.

Jake took a few moments to process the information then turned to his two hunters, " _Stay here and watch them_ ," he ordered before looking back at Norm, " _follow me._ "

The two walked to the edge of the compound, out of sight and hearing range of the others, and sat in the shade of an enormous tree. Jake then described his dreams to Norm, about how they seemed to be warning him about these two but now Eywa was giving him a message, similar to what Neytiri had once said had happened to her when she first saw him.

Norm shrugged after his friend finished talking, "I don't know, Jake," he said with sympathy, "I'm not narcissistic enough to think I could even begin interpret Eywa's message, but they don't seem to be any harm to us and like I said they may have saved all our asses here on base."

Jake cast an eye of scrutiny over Norm, "Yeah, about that," he declared, "how the hell did a military grunt come up with a solution while you and your scientists blundered around?"

"Hey," Norm said defensively, eyes narrowing, "sometimes it helps to have a fresh perspective."

Jake let it go for now, letting his mind focus back on the two strangers, "I was about to just confine them to the base," he said finally, "not let them near the weapons, but you said you already allowed them to handle guns."

"And they didn't try to kill any of us," Norm stated in his defense. He had deliberately left out the part of Jeremy shooting an _ikran_.

"Still, I don't know what the hell you were thinking taking that risk," Jake countered, "anyway, I have another idea. Until we know we can fully trust them I want to split them up. You said one of them has an avatar, right?"

"Reed has one, yes," Norm confirmed, "I've already let him link up to a few times, he seems to be getting the hang of it. I think I know where you're going with this too."

Jake grinned at his clever companion, "Here's what I'm thinking..."

Norm leaned in with curiosity as Jake outlined the plan he had in store for the two, nodding in agreement with what the Olo'eyktan had to say. By the time he was finished it was starting to get late and Jake knew his hunters must be as tired as he was.

"We'll let them know in the morning. Right now I need to get some sleep," he decided, though he knew he wouldn't be able to get much, sleeping in a strange place without his mate and son, "send the hunters to the avatar bunkhouse and the other two inside. Don't let them know about the plan until tomorrow."

Norm nodded then loped off to do his bidding as Jake strode over to the bunkhouse, sleeping here was always his least favorite part about visiting Hell's Gate.

Early the next morning, before it was completely light out, Roland and Jeremy were helping to load supplies into the back of a Samson. Neither were too happy with the arrangement but they also had no choice but to go along with the plan. As they were getting around that morning, Norm had explained that until the next ISV arrived the both of them were going to be learning. Jeremy was given to the zoology department, he suspected as punishment for killing the banshee. Roland, through his avatar, learning from the Na'vi. Though about what Reed had no idea, he figured he would be learning about their culture. Still, he wasn't keen on the idea, even though Reed had wanted to meet a native, it didn't mean he wanted to live out there in the jungle. That wasn't enough for Jake, though, and he decided that human Roland was going to live out in the forest as well, via a mobile link site, another detail that pissed the young mercenary off. The link site was to be towed, by Samson, out near the new _kelutral_ so that Reed was separated from his friend. Roland was to fly the Samson, as both he and Jeremy were adept pilots from flying evacs back on Earth during some of the more hectic conflicts, and follow Jake to the spot the Olo'eyktan had picked out from memory. The only, slightly, comforting thought Roland had was that he wouldn't be alone out there. Because he was going to be linking up to an avatar, he was going to need a specialist to monitor him while he was under and the position was assigned to an Asian man by the name of Malcolm Mai. In contrast to Reed's brooding, Mai was excited about his new assignment and had expressed, multiple times, his impatience to get going.

As the last of the necessities were loaded Roland turned to Jeremy "Well, I guess I'll see you in a few years," he stated glumly, "don't keep everyone up at night with your blubbing,"

Jeremy rolled his eyes, "And don't go getting yourself killed by the natives. Though as ugly as you are I wouldn't blame them," he retorted as they shook hands.

Norm shook his head, "You know, Jake will allow you to visit from time to time," he declared, "plus there is a communications system built in to the site so you can at least talk to each other. You're not going to be completely cut off from us for all three years."

"Yeah," Reed said turning to the scientist with a smile, "but I'm finally free of this one's stupidity. If you think I'm not going to take full advantage of that, then you're sorely mistaken."

Norm could only continue shaking his had as Jeremy punched his friend on the shoulder from behind. Soon after Jake arrived with his hunters and their _ikran_ and they could tell he was eager to get going. After brief goodbyes they set off with Reed following the trio of winged beasts and their riders.

It was a long and very boring flight to the destination, and Roland was more than ready to call it a day when they set down but he knew there was still a lot of work to do getting the site set up and habitable. Daylight had long since faded by the time both men lie down to sleep and, despite the unfamiliarity of prefab like structure, Roland was out quickly. Once again, though, he was roused very early by Malcolm, who informed him Jake was waiting outside. With a groan of irritation he slowly pulled himself out of his bunk and forced down the little meal Malcolm had prepared for him. Then he lied down on the link bed, nearly falling back asleep before his technician could finish keying in the commands to send him to his avatar.

As he sat up in his avatar, Roland groaned again, this time in pain as the position his avatar had been lying in the Samson caused some stiffness in his limbs. He climbed out of the aircraft and stretched as he strode over to the waiting Olo'eyktan, noting with displeasure that daylight hadn't fully blossomed yet.

"Morning sunshine," Jake said sarcastically at the man's sleepy looking face and Roland had to refrain from telling the chief where to stick it. Without waiting for a reply Jake turned and walked off into the woods and Roland had to almost jog to keep up.

"You never did tell me what I was going to be learning about out here," Roland said after a few moments of silence, trying to break the awkward silence that hung over them. In the distance he could see a massive tree that stood at more than three times the height of the incredibly tall ones they were walking under now, and he assumed that was what Norm had called Home Tree.

The grin Jake shot the man could be described as cunning, "You'll see soon enough," he replied, then suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. Roland became alert and pulled out the avatar sized Ka-Bar he had been provided, expecting danger. He was put off, then, when Jake started laughing.

" _Hiding in the shadows isn't like you,"_ the Olo'eyktan teased to the forest in front of him, _"afraid of the_ _big, scary_ _unilt_ _ì_ _rantokx?_

Suddenly, without making a sound, a beautiful Na'vi woman seemed to materialize from the foliage and strode gracefully up to Jake with a smile, _"Merely cautious ma'_ Jhake," she replied and the two briefly brushed foreheads, _"_ _d_ _id your journey go well?"_

Jake chuckled as he could see, out of the corner of his eye, Reed was getting unsettled by his mate, _"It was interesting,"_ he declared, _"_ _where's ma 'itan?"_

Neytiri gave him a loving smile _,_ " _He still sleeps,"_ she replied, _"ma sanok has him,"_

" _Of course_ _,"_ Jake said after a moment, _"_ _His grandma never passes an opportunity to spend time with him does she?_ _"_

The woman's gaze shifted to the dreamwalker, _"Who is your friend?"_ she asked as she studied him, _"I don't recognize this one,"_ she circled the man, noting that his body was severely underdeveloped for his size, but then again all _uniltìrantokx_ seemed to be and like his kind he dressed himself in all those unnecessary garments. She stopped in front of him to study his face and she thought to herself that he did look quite striking despite his alien features, but then again her mate wasn't pure Na'vi either so she figured her opinion was a bit biased. If this one were to join the clan he would definitely have no problem finding a mate, rather he would have a problem choosing just one out of many.

Jake sighed as he too looked to the mercenary, _"You woul_ _d_ _n't,_ _he's new here_ _and he's not my friend_ _"_ he stated then switched to English, "Roland, put your knife away, I don't take threats to my mate kindly."

Reed started as he realized he was still holding his blade then quickly returned it to its sheath, "I wasn't threatening her," he argued, "wait, mate?"

"That's right," Jake replied as he put an arm around the woman's shoulder, "This is Neytiri, the woman who stole my heart."

Neytiri gave her mate a look, "How could I steal that which you gave away to me freely?" she retorted.

Jake laughed aloud at that, "Good point. Neytiri, this is Roland Reed. He's a warrior too," he declared and Reed stepped forward to shake her hand which caused Neytiri to back peddle a couple feet as Jake held a hand up to stop him, "Yeah, they really don't do that here."

Roland felt his face go hot, "Oh, I'm sorry," he said.

The three continued their trek and the young mercenary found himself rubbernecking at every new sound. At one point he stopped to watch as a group of local monkey looking fauna swing by overhead on vines. Hearing a short cough he turned to see Jake and Neytiri staring at him, at which point he apologized and followed them, feeling a blush creep across his cheeks. It was nearly a ten minute walk to the huge tree which housed over one thousand natives. While their numbers were still less than when the original Home Tree fell, the Omaticaya were well on their way to returning to full strength. As the trio walked through a large enclosed clearing at the base of the tree, which served as both the meeting and dining area, Jake let his gaze study the crowd and he spotted, with pride, a number of young Na'vi women with swollen pregnant bellies, Eywa was clearly working hard to restore the balance even after these past few years. The three finally reached the spot his spot where he stood while addressing the clan or ate his meals respectively, as a large root protruding from the ground acted as a small stage for him to stand or sit on. From above an elderly looking Na'vi, but no less graceful, wearing a red beaded dress descended from above with a toddler in her arms. Jake made for his mother-in-law and his son, whom she was holding, but Neytiri all but pushed him out of the way to get to their son first. Relieving the boy from her mother, she gently bounced him in her arms while making cooing noises that brought a smile to the child's face. Jake stepped up next to her and tickled his son's cheek before turning to the clan. With the presence of a strange _unilt_ _ì_ _rantokx_ the clan assembled quickly, without the need for Jake to send word. All eyes were on Roland, which distraught him to no end as his ears pinned back and his tail twitched in agitation. Jake let him stew for a minute as the crowd rippled with mutters of confusion and speculation. Finally Jake raised his hand and was immediately rewarded with the crowd quieting to complete silence.

He briefly glanced to Neytiri and her mother before speaking, _"My friends, I have brought to you today an_ _unilt_ _ì_ _rantokx,"_ he began, letting his eyes pass over the whole crowd, _"_ _h_ _e arrived on a sawtute ship like the one we sent the others away on. He claims he came to protect our sawtute friends. I don't know if he speaks the truth but I will give him the same opportunity I was given when I first came to you."_ there were gasps of surprise as well as a couple barks of opposition but they were quickly quieted by Jake raising his hand again, " _he is to learn how to live as we do. How to hunt, walk, and speak as we do,"_

He turned to Mo'at and muttered to her under his breath, _"Could you pick out a few potential teachers for me?_ _They need to understand '_ _Ìnglìsì_ _._ _"_

Mo'at nodded and strode out into the crowd and within minutes she had five hunters standing in a line in front of the 'stage'. Two of the candidates were rather young, both only just recently completing their _uniltaron_ and therefore considered adults. The other three were slightly older and more experienced. Jake paced up and down the line, studying each one for a minute. In his mind he had all but dismissed the younger two. One was a male that held a deep seated hatred for the sky people so assigning him to the task was asking for disaster. The other was a female who, while hard working and respected, tended to get distracted by males, especially the strong hunter types. On top of that Jake wasn't too proud to admit, to himself at least, that Roland was a stud even in avatar form and was bound to attract the attention of many of the unmated females. So that was another disaster he wanted to avoid. The older three were two males and one female. The two males were both mated and one was already a father. The female wasn't mated yet but that wouldn't be the case for very long with the way she and her would be mate acted. He smiled at the young woman as a memory crossed his mind of the young woman helping her fellow hunters prepare for iknimaya. Yes, she would be a fine teacher, she had the patience to take on the task that the others didn't.

" _Aw'ey, you will teach him,"_ Jake declared and she nodded, though he spotted the flash of disappointment in her eyes but thankfully she didn't argue. The other four melted back into the crowd with looks of reliefs plastered across their faces. With a wave of her hand Mo'at dismissed the clan and, as the crowd dissipated, Jake ushered the young woman over to where Roland stood waiting, "Roland, this is Aw'ey. She will be your teacher while you are among us," Jake said, "do as she says or you will answer to me."

Reed cast him a baffled look, "What am I learning?" he asked, "can you tell me now?"

"I guess I can," Jake answered, "for the next three years you are going to learn how to live as one of us."

Reed was too dumbstruck to answer as Mo'at strode up to them, "First he will need to dress as one of us,"she declared as he she held up loincloth and indicated an area of privacy off to the side, "remove those garments, they are useless here."

That revelation snapped him out of it, "Oh, no. I am NOT wearing that," Reed declared. Jake just grinned as he knew, by personal experience, what was coming next.

"Remove them, or I will remove them for you," the older woman demanded with a no nonsense look on her face.

To his credit, Roland didn't waver and his jaw locked as he stared defiantly back at the elder woman. Then Jake, as quietly as he could as not to offend her, shifted behind Mo'at and strengthened her glare by adding his own. Roland snatched the loincloth out of her hands and sulked off, muttering to himself as he went.

" _He's yours now Aw'ey,"_ the Olo'eyktan said to the young woman, " _if he gives you any problems, let Mo'at, Neytiri, or myself know,"_

" _I will,"_ Aw'ey replied, _"_ _may I ask what I should teach him first?"_

" _He needs to learn how to talk first,"_ Mo'at advised, _"if he doesn't know how to talk then he won't know how to respect the forest,"_

Aw'ey nodded at her wisdom, _"Of course,"_ she said, then nodded to both clan leaders, _"Tsahìk, Olo'eyktan."_

Jake grit his teeth at the mention of his official title as he watched the girl trot after her student. He hated being called Olo'eyktan and would rather the clan just call him 'Jake' or 'Sully', but when he brought this up to his mate she had explained to him that if anyone other than his family or close friends called him by his name it would be considered disrespectful. He figured that given some time he would get used to it, but then again it had already been three years. Shaking his head he turned to Neytiri and his son, excited to spend the day with them for the first time in nearly a week. Hell, he was even happy to see Mo'at.

That night Roland followed his teacher up the perilous tree trunk path inside _kelutral_. He was still feeling self-conscious about wearing next to nothing to cover up his privates and he found it hard to keep his 'excitement' under control as he spent the day with a pretty young woman who wore almost as little as he did. It didn't help that, at the moment, he was following her on an incline which meant that her mostly bare butt was at eye level. A breeze blew across his skin and it brought his insecurity back to the front of his mind, nearly causing him to miss the next branch and fall to what he figured would be his death, or at least horrible injury. He couldn't help feeling this way despite everyone wearing the same outfit and no one of them seemed to care or stare. Well, the males didn't but there were a few times at dinner he spotted, out of the corner of his eye, groups of females glancing his way. He just hoped it was because he was a stranger and not that they had an interest in him. While he admitted most of the women were good looking, some very beautiful in his opinion, he wasn't about to get himself hitched. As he dropped down into the hammock located next to his teacher's, he glanced around at the families that were preparing for bed, as it were. He smiled sadly as he could clearly see the love the parents and children shared, and he found himself wishing he could have the same. He didn't think he was displaying his sorrow so clearly, but apparently he was wrong because from the next hammock over Aw'ey spoke up.

"Are you alright, Roh'land?" she asked and when he looked at her he could seen concern in her eyes. He could tell within the first hour or so in meeting her that she was a compassionate individual, even to an alien like him.

He smiled at her worry and the way she butchered his name, "I'm fine," he responded then rolled over to sleep, facing away from her, "just thinking of home. Good night"

" _Txon lefpom,"_ was the last thing he heard before drifting off to sleep.

Roland blinked to clear his vision as he returned to his human body. The lid of the link mod raised and he sat up to stretch. His mind was still on the phrase Aw'ey whispered to him. He went through the words and phrases he had been taught today but that one didn't ring a bell. He would have to ask her tomorrow what it meant, for now his cot was calling his name and he was ready for it, as uncomfortable as it is.

Back at Hell's Gate, Jeremy sat awake in the room he had claimed, smoking a cigarette as he stared out the window at the dark forest beyond the fence. According to the clock he should have been in bed over an hour ago, he could even feel it in his bones and he knew he would pay for it in the morning but he would deal with it. He had finally received a reply from Huntley and he was still mulling over the info. It had taken Vetterman all day to decipher the message but when he did he figured out Huntley still expected them to complete the mission by the time the next ISV arrived but on top of that the mercenaries were to disable all the link mods to cut down resistance from the avatars. Jeremy took a final draw from his cig, then flicked it into the trash and contemplated lighting another. Earlier that day he had found a large stash of cigarettes that had apparently belonged to the famed Grace Augustine, which meant he didn't have to be stingy with his own. Ultimately he decided that it was time for him to call it a night and climbed under the blankets on the uncomfortable bunk as he thought of what to tell Reed the next time they talked. Damn that Sully for separating them and damn him even more for making him stay here with the scientists. The last thought he had before sleep was the displeasure of knowing the next day would be spent listening to one of the geeks droll on.

 **Notes: I've been told by a friend that reads these that I should put translations at the end of the chapters. If you'd like me to do that, let me know. But I think that you should be able to figure most of them out, given the context. Plus if you're a big enough fan of Avatar to have looked up fan fiction of it, then you probably know most of them, excluding the phrase Aw'ey says to Roland. Reviews are appreciated, even if it's to tell me I suck.**


	4. Chapter 4

It was the end of the third day after being brought to the clan and the first day Roland's teacher had taken him for a run. At first he had thought it would be no big deal, running was easy, he did it all the time. Now, however, as he limped through the crowded eating area, his legs burning from the strain, he realized he had never ran like that before. Aw'ey was insistent on running all day, taking breaks every so often, but not often enough according to Roland, and at lunch. To his credit, the young man didn't complain once, and instead saved his energy for the workout. He knew he struck a pitiful sight as he finally reached his teacher, who was already conversing with other hunters. The reactions he got ranged from pity to amusement, Jake being in the latter category.

As Roland lowered himself into a seated position with a wince Jake couldn't help but scoff, "How was your walk through the woods, Reed?" he asked sarcastically. Roland chose to ignore him as he massaged his aching thighs so Jake turned his attention to the man's mentor, " _How did he do today, Aw'ey?"_

" _He's slow, noisy, and he breathes too loud,"_ she stated with frown then smiled slightly, " _but he doesn't complain."_

Jake let her return to her food as he thought on what she said. No complaints could be a good sign, either he was dedicated or he was too proud. Only time would tell and if he was too proud to complain sooner or later he would be pushed too far and he would open up.

The night wore on with the people leaving the group to go to sleep. Roland stayed near his teacher, not wanting to move as his legs were not hurting as much now that he was relaxed. He sat back more comfortably against the log he was using as a rest listening to, but not quite understanding, Aw'ey converse with her friends and some singer across the fire singing to his friends. The next thing he knew he was staring at the lid of his link mod. Startled, he closed his eyes and willed himself to link back with his avatar. He opened his eyes slightly and surveyed the area to see if anyone had noticed. It seemed that he had got away with it so he pushed himself to his feet, stifling a groan of pain as his muscles had locked up from sitting still for so long after such a workout. Reed pointed up towards the hammocks and his teacher nodded, understanding that he was calling it a night. It seemed to take forever to reach his hammock and when he did he practically dropped into it, causing the bed to sway perilously, but he was too tired to care.

The next morning his whole body was in pure agony as he hauled himself up onto the branch. He couldn't remember ever being this sore and it really hammered home how underdeveloped his avatar was. Once he reached the bottom he forced himself to walk upright, trying to hide his limping. It wasn't long before he found his teacher, who handed him a plate of breakfast.

"Morning," he stated.

Aw'ey furrowed her brow as she stared at her student, "Yes, it is the morning," she said slowly as if he had lost his mind.

The young man rolled his eyes, " **Good** morning," he declared, "We running again today?" He tried to sound nonchalant but she could still see that his muscles were stiff and she shot him a knowing smile.

"No, your body still hurts," she replied as she stood, then strapped a basket across her back, "Come."

Still hiding his limp, Reed rose and followed her. The walked for a few minutes before arriving at a stream bed where she sat the basket down then sat on the bank and indicated he do the same. Insects buzzed curiously around them and a few _pa'li,_ horse-like creatures, grazed nearby.

Aw'ey then unloaded the basket's contents onto the ground in between them, "Every _taronyu_ must learn how to make their own arrows," she explained as she demonstrated how to properly bind the arrowhead, made from the bones of the hunted animals, to the shaft.

"Alright," Roland said after she had finished, then attempted one of his own. He grunted in slight frustration as the arrow fell apart in his hands. His teacher made it look so easy. He watched his teacher make a few more before attempting his own, with rubbish results.

"It takes time," Aw'ey reassured him as she slowed down her demonstration so Reed could follow along.

After lunch, Roland's muscles had relaxed enough that his mentor decided to take him riding, since it was clear arrow making was going no where, she decided to leave it for another day. Aw'ey brought him to an older more docile _pa'li_ and explained to him the _tsaheylu_ or bond.

She hooked her queue up to the _pa'li_ 's and closed her eyes to fully immerse herself into the bond, "Every rider must make _tsaheylu_ when riding _pa'li_ or _ikran,_ " she explained, "it is important for a hunter to feel through his horse."

She broke the bond and handed the neural whip to Roland, who tentatively brought his own queue forward. He held his breath as the tendrils intertwined then he gasped as the bond completed and he experienced a sensory overload, the _pa'li_ next to him snorted and stomped one of its six hoofs in reaction. He clenched his eyes shut as he persevered through intensity of the _tsaheylu_.

"Is it always this strong?" he finally gasped out. His eyes were still shut but he realized his other senses had changed or at least strengthened. He could hear things he couldn't a moment ago. As he breathed he noticed a strong sweet aroma wafting in the breeze, the source somewhere off to his right.

"Yes," his mentor replied sounding sympathetic, "you will get used to it in time."

Roland slowly opened his eyes, which had also been enhanced by the creature. He took a few more deep breaths to calm himself and as he did the _pa'li_ stopped shuffling and calmed as well. That sweet smell was starting to become overwhelming and he was beginning to feel hungry, then a thought crossed his mind.

"I think she's hungry," he said. _She?_ He thought, yes that was what the bond was telling him, he realized.

Aw'ey grinned, "After your lesson she will feed, but for now try to ignore the feeling and mount her," she commanded.

Reed nodded and, with some difficulty, climbed up the animal and sat in her saddle. He reached down and patted the long neck of the horse and received a satisfied feeling through the link.

Aw'ey tapped a hand to her head, "You tell her where to go inside, but unt-"

Without warning the _pa'li_ took off in a gallop as Roland, not really realizing it, had urged his mount to go with his mind. With a shout of surprised terror, Reed grasped both antennae in a death grip, trying to hold on for dear life. Without the rider giving her clear direction, the horse ran pell-mell into the forest, dodging trees and jumping rocks. By now Roland was hanging off the left side of the horse, using all of his strength to keep himself from falling beneath the powerful legs of the direhorse as the plants they passed dealt stinging blows to his face.

"Please, stop!" Reed shouted frantically and, to his surprise, the _pa'li_ skidded to a halt and the avatar was flung forward. The queues came apart in mid-air and Roland took a rough landing on his back with his momentum causing him to roll a few times before coming to a stop face down in the dirt. He lay there a moment, groaning as he willed himself to breathe through the pain, flexing his fingers as he waited for the paralyzed feeling to subside.

Suddenly footsteps came running up to him, "Are you hurt?" it was Aw'ey.

"No," Roland replied as he got to his feet, completely recovered from having the wind knocked out of him, "I'm fine."

Her look of panicked worry changed into an amused grin, "Again," she commanded, " **say** where to go until you are used to riding."

Meanwhile Jake was touching down at Hell's Gate. It was unusual for him to visit again so early but he figured since he was only here a day the last time he would come. He sighed internally as he spotted Norm, in human form, trotting his way with another human in tow.

" _Oel ngati kameie,_ Norm," the _Olo'eyktan_ said when they reached each other, "is something the matter?"

The lanky scientist returned the greeting, "I'll let you be the judge," he motioned to the other man, "This is Angelo Doyle of the Embryology department. He's got something you should see"

Doyle took his cue and stepped forward to hand Jake a data pad. Though the man was quite sturdy looking, Jake could see a bit of trepidation in the man's eyes. The _Olo'eyktan_ momentarily reflected on the realization that he had that effect on both the Na'vi and the scientists. Though it was more evident in the scientists, he figured it had to do with the fact that he was almost twice their height and had an army of natives at his command. It didn't help that a lot of their studies were intrusive on the ecology and Jake was now a very firm advocate of protecting the environment.

Sully gave the Embryologist a smile to ease his apprehension, "What's this?" he asked as he powered up the electronic device.

Doyle cleared his throat before speaking in his deep husky voice, "When us newcomers were offloading the shuttle I introduced myself to all of the others, at least the ones I hadn't met yet," he started, "When I got to Roland Reed, I knew I recognized him. For the life of me, I couldn't pinpoint why. Once we were settled in I sent a message back to a friend of mine back on Earth, asking him to look up Mr. Reed for me. The day after you left to go back to Hometree, I got my reply and now I know why I recognized him."

Jake glanced down at the pad and saw that it was a profile constructed for the avatar back at _kelutral,_ "Was he a criminal or something?" he asked when he caught sight of the mugshotesque picture of Roland.

"Not quite," Angelo continued, "he is, or was, a mercenary. One of the best, in fact. This might have been after you left Earth, but do you remember the U.S. embassy bombing in Tanzania?"

Jake nodded, "Yeah, the one that killed over thirty people, that was right before I left" he reminisced, "it almost delayed our departure."

Doyle nodded, "At the time Tanzania was having an internal conflict. There was a small rebellion just starting to rise against the general of their military. Roland was the one who assassinated the general that sparked the revolution," he explained, "With the military temporarily weakened the rebels swarmed in and took over, blowing up the U.S. embassy in the process."

Jake scrolled through the profile with a frown, skimming over the list of operations Reed had been apart of, "He's done a lot for being just twenty seven," he mused.

"What you see there is all my friend could find," Doyle stated apologetically, "Not much is known about him before this incident. To the people of Tanzania he's a hero, a living legend. Because of his actions he's garnered a number of nicknames among the locals. Trigger, Fire Starter, Moto Nyepesi. They even named him after a god from an old religion. He ended up on the CIA watch list, he even had a bounty on him for a while. Eventually he was sent here, likely to get rid of him"

As Sully continued to scroll, his frown deepened, then the profile changed to Jeremy, "What about Vetterman?" he asked.

Doyle shrugged, "Not much on him either. While he hasn't done as much as Reed, his list of accomplishments isn't anything to sneeze at either."

Jake returned the pad to the scientist, "Thanks, Doyle, I'm glad someone found them out," he stated then turned to Norm, "Bring Jeremy to me, he's got some explaining to do."

Norm left to do his bidding, with Angelo following to return to his work. It a few short minutes the airlock opened again and out stepped Vetterman, looking a little nonplussed.

Jake wrinkled his nose in disgust from the smell of cigarette smoke that tainted the human's clothing, "Got something to ask you, Vetterman," he started sharply, "and you better be straight up with me."

Jeremy threw his hands out to the side in exasperation, "Not that I haven't been anyway," he declared, "ask away."

"I want to know what happened in Tanzania," the _Olo'eyktan_ said.

The mercenary rolled his eyes, "If you mean the embassy bombing, I had nothing to do with it," he explained, "and, before you ask, neither did Reed."

"Stop lying to me, I read the reports," Jake retorted, his temper starting to flare, "the rebels bombed the embassy after your pal assassinated the general. Seems to me he had a lot to do with it."

Jermy sighed, "You'll have to ask Reed for the details, but he was hired to assassinate the general," he stated, "Reed and I hadn't met yet when he took the job. He never joined the rebellion. Hell, he was long gone from the country when the embassy got bombed."

"Who hired him?" Jake asked, his irritation subsiding a little.

"Like I said; you'll have to ask Reed," Jeremy bit back, "but I know it was an outsider, not part of the rebellion."

Jake pondered a while, as far as he could tell, the man was telling the truth. If he was, then Roland couldn't be blamed for all those innocent deaths. At the same time, Reed and Vetterman were mercenaries, the kind that Jake had grown to dislike over the course of his military career. Clearly he needed to have a talk with Roland as soon as possible, which meant cutting his Hell's Gate visit short again. The _Olo'eyktan_ dismissed Jeremy then went about his other business for the rest of the day and, early the next morning, departed for _kelutral._ It was getting late by the time he touched down in the high branches of Hometree and he knew he'd have to put off his discussion with Roland until the afternoon the next day, as he had other tasks to see to in the morning, being clan leader and all. Out of the shadows stepped Neytiri and he quickly pulled her into an embrace, breathing her scent deep, letting it calm him as they nuzzled their foreheads fondly.

Neytiri ran her hands up the length of his upper arms and could feel the tension he carried through his muscles, _"Ma Jake, is everything alright,"_ she asked, her face set in a frown of concern, _"are your tawtute friends okay?"_

Jake smiled at her worry, _"All is well with my friends,"_ he answered, internally debating on whether or not he should tell her what he learned about their _un_ _iltìrantokx._ Ultimately he decided not to, no use worrying her over something that could turn out to be nothing. The two headed to their shared hammock, Jake more than ready for sleep after a long day of flying.

The next day Aw'ey was instructing Roland on how to light a small cooking fire. Hunters sometimes got caught up out in the forest, being unable to return to _kelutral_ in time for meals, so they were taught how to make small fires to cook scavenged goods. The fires were contained and insignificant enough to cause a major inferno, making them capable of being built up in the branches of the bigger trees. As with most things he was being taught; Roland was incompetent at making a fire. At the moment he was alone, Aw'ey had told him she wouldn't be with him all day and that he was to practice making fires and arrows until she returned. With frustration mounting, Reed began smacking the tools together rapidly, showering the kindling with sparks, but still nothing caught.

From behind him a voice cut the silence, sarcasm lacing his tone, "Having trouble, 'Fire Starter'?" it was Jake.

Roland smirked as he turned to face the _Olo'eyktan,_ ready to fire back with a retort,but he but his tongue when he saw Jake's held no amusement, _"Oel ngati kameie, Olo'eyktan,"_ Roland said slowly, knowing full well that he was butchering it.

Jake was taken aback for a moment, "That was awful, but you're making progress," he begrudgingly admitted.

"Sometimes I don't know what's worse," Reed declared, "making these damn arrows or the language. Need something?"

Sully reset himself, "Yeah, actually," he said sharply, "I don't like being lied to. You never said you were a mercenary."

Roland sighed, he didn't think Jake would find out so soon, "No, I didn't, but you didn't ask," he stated matter-of-factly, "I said I wasn't military but you never pressed the issue."

"Still, I would have liked to know what I brought into my home," Jake growled, "Did you have anything to do with the bombing of the U.S. embassy in Tanzania?"

Again Roland sighed, the CIA had spent over a year investigating him for that, he had thought it was in the past, "No," he said definitely, "My contract was for one person. I eliminated him and I left, what happened after that, I had no part in."

"Who hired you?" Jake asked.

"Some spineless jerk off who sold me out at the first whiff of danger," replied the young merc, "I was hired through an intermediary, so I have no idea who wanted the general dead or why. All I know was that I was paid very well for it."

The _Olo'eyktan_ shook his head, "And that's the problem," he declared, "I can't trust someone who is only loyal to their next paycheck."

"Well, then you're in luck, because it's not that simple for me," answered Roland, "I only take or took jobs I felt were just. That general was far from innocent and when they asked me to terminate him, I gladly accepted."

"And your friend, Vetterman?" Sully asked, "I get the impression he isn't too picky on where his next meal comes from."

"You'd be right," Reed retorted, "but when he's with me he behaves himself, mostly."

The _Olo'eyktan_ cocked an eyebrow, "Mostly?" he pressed.

"Jeremy is his own man," the young merc explained, "most of the time I can keep him under control, but when his mind is set on a goal, even I can't keep him from it."

Suddenly Aw'ey materialized out of the forest, looking worried and they realized she had overheard their heated discussion, or part of it at least.

Jake smiled at his young hunter, _"You're doing well, Aw'ey, keep up the good work,"_ he said to put her at ease.

It worked, she grinned at the compliment, _"Irayo, Olo'eyktan,"_ she replied.

The chief turned back to Reed, "I still have questions for you, we'll talk again soon," he declared.

The young man just shrugged, "Anytime, boss," he replied, then gave his full attention to his mentor. The remainder of the day was spent making arrows, which soured Roland's mood a bit. The two returned to _kelutral_ an hour before dinner and they were nearly trampled by a herd of excited kids charging to a cove off to the side.

One little boy nearly knocked Aw'ey over and, before he could run off again, she grasped his shoulder, _"What is going on, young one?"_ she asked, her interest piqued, even more so when she saw some of the older people running to the cove as well.

The boy grabbed onto Aw'ey's forearm and began pulling her along, _"Ninat is going to sing the song of the sixth Toruk Makto!"_ he answered excitedly.

"What's happening?" Reed asked, not quite being able to translate the rapid fire speech from the boy.

"Ninat is singing about our _Olo'eyktan_ ," she replied, trotting to keep from getting pulled onto her face, "Ninat is the best singer in the clan."

Roland started a bit at that, and he glanced around at some of the others he knew to be singers, "I don't think that's something you should be shouting," he declared with a chuckle, "You might offend someone."

Aw'ey gave him a smile, "Everyone knows Ninat is the best," she explained, "no one is too proud to admit it."

Off to the side he noticed Jake and Neytiri standing just outside of the group and they stayed standing as everyone else sat. Roland strode over to the pair and he realized the chief was practically trying to hide. _So the boss is shy,_ _eh_ _?_ He thought to himself. The crowd quieted as a gorgeous woman took a seat at the head of the gathering. Roland had seen her before at meal times but never knew who she was. In his opinion she was the most beautiful Na'vi woman of the _Omaticaya._

He spent most of the song in a trance, not that he would have been able to keep up anyway. Her soft, yet commanding voice sent chills up his spine and the way she swayed back and forth through some parts of the song had him completely enthralled. Soon the song was over, the cheering and whooping broke the spell, Roland shook his head to regain himself. The clan members each thanked Ninat for singing and left to finish up their duties. Some children tried to encourage her to sing it again but were swiftly herded away by their parents and it wasn't long before Roland, Jake, Neytiri, and Ninat were the only ones left.

Reed could see that Jake was still discomposed by the ordeal and couldn't help digging at him, "Hell of a song, wouldn't you agree, Sully?" he teased.

The _Olo'eyktan_ shot him a death glare but before he could respond Ninat strode gracefully up to the group and he schooled his features into an appreciative smile, " _Irayo, Ninat. That was well sung,"_ he stated and he meant it, she really was the best singer he had ever heard and, despite being the subject of the song, he appreciated it.

" _Irayo, Olo'eyktan. It pleases me to hear you enjoyed it,"_ she replied, then turned to the odd man out, _"Oel ngati kameie,_ Roh'land. Did you enjoy the song as well?"

Roland was rendered speechless for a moment, her broken English and odd pronunciation of his name somehow only made her more cute, "Ye- ahem, yes, you sounded wonderful," he exclaimed and he swore his voice cracked. He could feel himself blushing as he realized how awkward he was being, but he couldn't help it, she was just too beautiful. It wasn't fair, he hadn't lost his cool around a girl like this since freshmen year of high school. Her adorable round eyes lit up at the complement, and her breathtaking smile gave him butterflies in his stomach.

Jake raised his eyebrows, "Really? I'm surprised you understood it," he stated, obviously paying him back for his earlier comment, "What was your favorite part?"

Reed could only glower at Sully, "Well the parts I got, I liked," he stated simply.

There was a flash of disappointment across the singer's face, and it almost physically hurt Reed to see it, "Oh," she said softly, "I'm sorry, I forgot you can't talk like the people."

Thinking quickly, Reed stammered out a solution, "Well, you'll have to sing it more often until I can fully understand it," he declared with a sly grin.

Ninat smiled at that, "I will, for you, Roland," she declared, not catching the look of utter hatred Roland was receiving from Jake.

"Uh, _irayo,"_ he said gawkily, "I would like that."

"Maybe you could join me in singing one day," she offered.

Reed burst out laughing, "Oh, no, I don't think so," he said.

"Why not?" Jake pressed, continuing the war between him and the mercenary, "I've heard you sing, you're actually not half bad."

"Singing to myself is one thing," Roland explained, blushing even harder than before, "and you weren't supposed to hear me, but I could never sing in front of a crowd."

Ninat smiled hopefully at him, "I would like to hear you sing some time," she said.

Once again Reed was stunned into silence but Neytiri came to his rescue, "Another time, maybe, but now it is time to eat," she stated.

"Yeah," Roland said, a little too quickly, "I should probably find Aw'ey, too." He turned to leave and Ninat followed after watching him a moment.

Once Ninat and Roland had departed Jake turned to his mate, _"That was interesting,"_ he said, staring at the backs of the retreating mercenary and singer, _"I've never seen Ninat show any interest in a male like that."_

" _Nor I,"_ agreed Neytiri with a smile, " _but I will admit It gives me hope. Ninat has gone unusually long without choosing a mate, it had me worried."_

" _Really?"_ Jake inquired, "i _s it that odd for her to stay unmated?"_

" _It happens, not often, but it does happen,"_ she responded, " _Sometimes the unmated will travel to other clans and find mates there. I feared that would happen to Ninat. I would not want my best friend to leave us."_

Jake nodded, " _I'll have to talk with_ Roland _then,"_ he declared, " _make sure he_ _understands_ _how_ _much this means that Ninat is showing interest in him."_

Neytiri suddenly looked worried, " _Do you think_ Roh'land _won't want Ninat?"_ she asked.

Jake could only shrug, " _I don't know,"_ he answered truthfully, "t _t is possible that he has no intention of taking a mate but the way he was looking at her while she sang tells a different story. I'm confident he's interested in her as well."_

His mate grinned at that, " _Then let's hope he can become one of us, and soon,"_ she declared.

Jake was later than the rest to dinner and, after settling down next to Neytiri, he glanced around at his clan. His eyes found Roland, not that it was hard to spot the avatar. Rather than squat in place, like the rest of the clan, Reed sat on the ground with his legs out in front of him, one bent so he could rest an arm on it. The _Olo'eyktan_ was surprised, though he knew he shouldn't be, to see Ninat was sitting with him. He watched them for a minute, Reed was doing most of the talking with Ninat laughing every so often at something he said.

Next to Jake he hard Neytiri giggle, _"Look at my friend,"_ she said, her voice filled with glee as she bounced their son her lap, _"she is older than I, yet she acts like a young woman around_ Roh'land."

Jake turned to his mate and saw she was positively beaming at the spectacle and he could only give her a small worried smile in return, _"Yeah, you're not the only one who has noticed,"_ he declared and nodded in the direction Ninat normally sat, " _Pxe'tat could halt a charging '_ _angtsìk with that glare."_

Ninat followed Jak's gaze and found the man he was referring to. She quietly sighed to herself as the young man was glaring daggers at the _uniltìrantokx_ across the fire. It was obvious that Pxe'tat had been infatuated with Ninat for a long time and, while Neytiri didn't resent the man for wanting her friend, she knew Ninat did not feel the same as him. In truth, no one in the _Omaticaya_ had caught her friend's attention like Roland and whenever she breached the subject with Ninat she would simply say, _They do not see me._ Neytiri also knew that Ninat had let Pxe'tat down, so he was only making it worse for himself by being to stubborn to let himself move on. She turned her attention back to her friend and the dreamwalker, her former smile returning to her face. Jake could only wish he had her optimism as he rehearsed his talk with Reed. The man needed to know the caliber of the women that was showing interest in him, he needed to respect that.

That night, after he had unlinked, Reed lay awake in his bunk, thinking about what had transpired that day. He wasn't blind to the scowl he was getting from one of the men, and he wasn't too ignorant to know that it had to do with the fact that Ninat was sitting with him. Some part of him got a sense of enjoyment from the envious stares, and he knew he shouldn't. Ninat was a whole different species, plus he was going to be leaving in three years. _After killing their leader,_ he grimly thought to himself. He decided then that it would be best not to get attached. He almost laughed at the thought that he, Roland Reed, would have to turn down the best looking woman in the galaxy. But, in truth, it also hurt a little, to know he could never have such a wonderful woman.


End file.
